This Is My Life
by Stargazer79
Summary: A story of a natural born leader doing what she does best. Sequel to In Another Life. Alternate Universe
1. Chapter 1

(This story is dedicated to my Pa for giving me the chance to go see the real Captain Janeway(Kate Mulgrew) and for being an awesome Pa)

The two explorers, dressed in all weather-resistant, water proof hiking clothes, had seen alot of the planet they were on.

It was called Keltinia, once a very peaceful place with many different cultures. The Keltinians had tended to live in clusters, a technological group here, a farmer one there, and large uninhabited spaces existed between each small town or city.

But many centuries ago, the people of the clusters had begun to vanish, one by one. The other groups only knew from being out of communication for too long, and when they went to investigate they only found fallen buildings and scorched ground.

Soon, before anyone could figure out what was going on, the Keltinians were extinct, save for the many who had moved off world. After that Keltinia was not much more than an abandoned planet occasionally visited by explorers and history researchers.

Artie and Salina, the two hikers currently on the surface, were curious about the much heard about jungle that covered half of the planet. No Keltinians had ever resided there, deeming it to be too dangerous for them to live in peacefully.

Artie cleared a path through the rubble that had once been a legendary natural wall separating the Keltinians from the dangers of the jungle.

Salina, Artie's wife, was always fascinated by any kind of history. She wanted to venture into the immense forest to see if she could find any proof that people had lived there. None had been found yet, and she wanted to be the first. Others had looked but the area was far too vast for them to explore in a short amount of time, so they had given up.

Salina and Artie had seen the massive trees from a while back; impossibly tall, bronze-colored trunks with oversized green and purple leaves drooping from the branches.

Now the two adventurers were standing under those trees, having crossed the ocean of decaying debris left behind by the wall. The sun was impossible to see through the thick canopy, but the mystical forest glowed with its own dazzling source of illumination.

Small beads lining the large leaves and crisscrossing the mossy ground shone with a soft blue light. They did not twinkle, only steadily gleamed, never wavering. It made the whole place look slightly blue tinted to Artie.

Salina had gone ahead, searching, her blonde hair glimmering in the natural glow. Artie spread out from her while still keeping her in sight in order to cover more ground.

He noticed the trees were so thick that if one happened to be hollow a whole group of people could stand inside. He kept walking until he found a hole in one of the twisted, gnarly trunks just above his head. He cautiously reached toward it and curled his fingers around the bottom edge of the hole, then pulled himself up.

He stuck his head inside but it was so dark he couldn't see anything. Then, suddenly, something squawked loudly and flew straight into his face, startling him. He lost his grip and fell onto his back, grateful for the soft moss that covered the forest floor.

A red and blue feathered bird shot out of the hole and flew away, low to the ground. "Over here, Artie!" Salina called to him. He stood, brushed himself off and headed toward her voice.

He found her standing in the center of a small crater that took up most of a rare clearing. She was working at pulling something out that was buried beneath the moss and dirt.

He slid down the side of the big hole to help her. A fairly skinny piece of bronze wood was sticking out of the moss and when they pulled it out, they found it was a part of something more.

Attached to the first one was another piece of rotting wood, this one curved, and at the other end was another stick much like the first one. At the top of the two straight ones was a flat slab of wood that appeared to be broken.

"Artie, this looks man-made!" Salina exclaimed excitedly.

"Now don't jump to any conclusions," he responded as he studied the odd creation.

She climbed out of the crater as if she hadn't heard him, disappeared into a small cave, came back out and rushed over to a mound of moss. Artie pulled himself out of the large impression in the ground and started toward her.

She was standing on the mound and, just as he reached it, jumped off and began walking away. He followed after her like he always does, shaking his head.

Salina came across a curtain of dark green vines hanging from a high up branch. She pushed them aside and a look of amazement froze on her face. Artie went through the vines after her and was likewise amazed.

A field of cottony white flowers lay before them, surrounded by tall rocky cliffs. A waterfall cascaded into a pool of crystal clear water to the right, and tiny insects flew all over, blinking yellow.

But the most noticeable thing was the grey stone statue in the center of the field. It was cracked, and parts of it were crumbling off with time, but that didn't make it any less impressive. Artie moved closer to study the work of art.

It was humanoid, a bit smaller than the average human female, with long hair that reached just below the waist. It had one fist raised, the other arm down and bent at the elbow to bring the right fist level with the midsection.

The body was slightly turned to the left, and the face was upturned in a look of defiant determination. The eyes were made with two of the glowing blue beads, and a bracelet of shining round pearls of the same color circled the left wrist.

Salina ran a hand over the beautifully crafted face. "I wonder what happened here."

...

Many centuries earlier, not too long before the statue was built, the living version of it did something truly amazing. But the story was lost very long ago, the captivating tale of a natural born leader forever forgotten. Now it is finally revealed.


	2. Chapter 2

Kathryn paced back and forth beside the giant wall made of intertwined trees. It wasn't raining out, indicating daytime. The moss sunk each time she took a step, molding around her bare foot, and springing back up when the weight rose off it.

Her loose white clothing fluttered at every turn, and her pearl bracelet glowed with the same brightness on the day Mark had given it to her. Oh, how she missed Mark.

Kathryn was nervous. She was planning to go meet her mother, and she was worried what would happen. She was seventeen now, fourteen years older than when she had last seen her mother right before the shuttle crashed.

It had been that long before Kathryn had found a way through the huge fence and discovered the person who had raised her until she was three. But her mother had been sleeping then. This time she wouldn't be.

Kathryn stopped her pacing and turned to the massive fortress. She pushed aside a couple of big leaves and entered the passageway that tunneled through to the other side.

She crawled over the damp wood, lighting the way with her luminescent bracelet and being careful not to get her long light brown hair caught on anything.

She emerged behind the small bush that hid the other end of the tunnel from view. Kathryn's blue eyes were immediately drawn upward toward the sapphire sky and the bright yellow orb that was the sun. She hadn't seen a sun since she was three.

Once she had gotten over her amazement she walked at a brisk pace to the rundown buildings that the survivors of the other crash lived in. When she reached the old structures she looked for her mother. After not finding any people there, she continued onward past the short, blocky buildings.

She came across the section of grass with a bench in the middle. Two people were sitting on the bench, one with light brown hair, the same color as her own, and the other was blonde.

Kathryn approached them silently from behind, and then she just stood there behind the bench for what seemed to her to be a very long time. Finally she reached over and tapped the one she believed to be her mother on the shoulder.

The woman turned and looked up, still smiling about something her companion had said. The smile was replaced with a look of confusion as she stood up.

"My name is Kathryn," Kathryn began before anyone else could say anything.

"Kathryn? Kathryn Janeway?" The woman asked slowly as if afraid saying it would make it untrue. Even though she hadn't used her last name for many years, Kathryn nodded.

"Oh, my baby!" The woman exclaimed, pulling her long lost daughter into a tight loving embrace. Kathryn returned it gratefully, wondering why she had ever been afraid about what might happen.

When they pulled away after a time, Mrs Janeway started fingering the seashell necklace she was wearing. "This must have come from you," she said.

Kathryn nodded again, remembering the late night adventure into this place and leaving her vine and seashell necklace with her mother. "It was mine before, but then I found you. I made it myself."

"Where have you been? Did your shuttle crash too? I thought you were dead!" Her mother hugged her again, unable to contain her happiness. Her blonde friend simply stood there, quietly watching the reunion.

"Yes, the shuttle I was in crashed. I've been on the other side of the wall," Kathryn explained, pointing in the direction from which she came. The giant wall was visible even from this distance because of its size. "Follow me, you've gotta see my side."

Kathryn turned and started jogging back toward the natural formation dividing the land. She looked back to make sure her mother was following. When they arrived at the bush concealing the hole behind it, Mrs Janeway was panting.

"I haven't run so much since... well, in a long time," She said between breaths.

"It's through here," Kathryn told her, beginning to get down into the hole.

"What is on the other side?" Her mother asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"A forest. A huge forest with giant leaves and trees. Oh, you've probably never seen anything like it before! It's the most beautiful place! It's like a whole other world!" Kathryn responded.

"All right then, after you." Mrs Janeway smiled and gestured toward the hole.

Kathryn crawled through the passageway with Mrs Janeway right behind her. It smelled of damp moss and wood, smells that she was used to but were probably new to her mother.

She hurried out the other side and helped her mom out of the hole hidden by oversized leaves. Mrs Janeway stared at the glowing jungle surrounding her, running a hand over large purple-splotched green leaves and studying the light blue beads in awe.

"This is..." She was at a loss of what to say. "...gorgeous! Words don't even begin to describe it!" Kathryn grabbed her mothers hand, feeling more and more comfortable in her presence, and led her deeper into the twilight wilderness.

They walked over springy green moss, between close-growing twisted trees, and through hanging vines until they reached the clearing where Kathryn lived.

Sarah, the woman who had played a big part in raising her, looked up from knitting in her rocking chair. Skip, the Mexican pilot, was busy cracking shells open in preparation for dinner.

Marks parents, Steven and Holly, were napping inside the cabin that everyone had built, still sad over the loss of their son not too long ago. Sharon, Samuel and Teresa were out picking berries and filling a jug with water from the stream.

Sarah stood from her chair and strolled over to Kathryn and the newcomer. Skip remained oblivious, concentrating on getting clams out at the stump that served as their table.

"Who's your friend, Kathryn?" Sarah inquired, her once wavy red hair now white like the cotton flowers.

"This is my mother."


	3. Chapter 3

After the introductions and explanations has been made, Kathryn's mom wanted to return to the other side to tell her friends who she had lived with for the past fourteen years. Kathryn led the way, being the only one able to find the exact spot that gave passage to the different world that was on the other side.

But when Kathryn poked her head out of the hole once she had crawled through, things were not right. The short, wide buildings in the distance were no longer standing and wispy tendrils of smoke rose from black scorch marks on the hard ground. There was a burnt smell in the air, and she heard what sounded like footsteps.

Kathryn carefully started forward, ready to bolt. She motioned to her mother not to move, earning a puzzled look. She only took a couple of steps before she saw them.

Tall alien beings, atleast eight feet tall, were marching toward her from behind a pile of smashed building. They were covered in heavy red and black armor from head to toe. They wore spiked gloves and boots, and each one carried large tube-like weapons.

Kathryn turned on her heel and shouted, "Mom! Go back now!"

The alien soldiers were still advancing, even though they hadn't broken into a run. Kathryn dove into the tunnel after her mother, barely escaping a small energy ball from one of the weapons. She heard it slam into the nearly impassable wall behind her, and she started crawling faster.

When she came out into the mystical forest, she began ripping leaves off the trees and stuffing them into the hole, trying to block the exit, atleast temporarily. She assumed the soldiers couldn't fit through the tunnel, but she wanted to be safe.

Kathryn raced through the gleaming jungle toward the clearing that was her home, being reminded of her races with Mark when they were younger. She reached the stump in front of the cave where Skip was just finishing getting dinner ready.

Her mother stumbled into the clearing after her, out of breath. Kathryn started blurting out what she had seen and started over when Sarah told her to slow down.

"On the other side of the wall there are these big soldier people with weapons. They knocked down the buildings and they tried to shoot me!"

Both Sarah and Skip looked worried. Kathryn continued talking.

"We have to make sure they don't come and destroy the forest, and somebody's gotta go back to the other side to see if my mom's friends are still there."

She hurriedly explained the same things to the others when they returned from berry picking and woke up from napping. Skip immediately took charge, being the former starfleet officer that he was.

"I'll lead a team to the other side to see if we can find the others, but we need weapons first," he said.

Kathryn spoke up. "They're covered in armor. Any weapons we make probably won't even slow them down."

"I did manage to salvage some phasers from the crash, but their energy levels are low," Skip told her.

Kathryn nodded. "Try those. You should go now, just in case."

Skip retrieved three phasers from the small supply cave, and Kathryn led him, Samuel, and Steven to the passageway through the natural wall.

"Be careful," She warned as Skip cleared the entrance of leaves and ducked inside. Samuel started in after the smaller man, but his wide shoulders prevented him from squeezing inside.

"Hold up, Skip!" Steve called after he found he couldn't fit either. "We are unable to get into the hole."

Skip backed out, phaser in hand. "Well, what do we do?" He asked. "I'd rather not go alone."

"I'll go," Kathryn announced stepping forward.

"Kathryn, it's too..." Skip began, but was interrupted.

"Don't even say it's too dangerous. Living out here has its risks too, and I'm old enough to take care of myself. Besides, I know my way around that place," She cut in.

Skip pondered that for what seemed an eternity to Kathryn before reluctantly agreeing. Samuel handed her his phaser, and he and Steven waited beside the wall.

Kathryn followed Skip through the dark tunnel, waiting behind him as he checked if the coast was clear. They crouched behind the small bush after exiting the passageway, making sure none of the soldiers were near.

When things seemed quiet enough Skip and Kathryn ran over the firm ground, making no sound with their bare feet. Almost all of the old structures had been burnt or knocked down, but one was still more or less intact.

Kathryn followed Skip toward it, occasionally bending down behind the piles of smashed buildings. Skip was making odd hand movements that Kathryn didn't quite understand so she just copied his every move.

They approached the still standing building until they were close enough to see through its one transparant wall. There were four people sitting on the ground inside, looking very worried, and one of the soldiers was standing over them just inside the door with his back turned to the outside.

Kathryn pulled Skip down behind a pile of rubble and whispered, "I have a plan. The doors open inward, so if we shove it hard enough maybe we can trap him between it and the solid wall long enough for the prisoners to escape."

Skip thought about it, decided they didn't have all the time in the world, and nodded. Then they quietly tiptoed up to the short building.

Kathryn pressed both hands up against the clear door and Skip grabbed the handle. He mouthed, "One, two three," and drove the handle down.

Kathryn pushed inward with all her might, and with Skip helping, succeeded in slamming the guard into the wall and holding him there.

"Hurry!" Kathryn shouted to the captives who all jumped to their feet and rushed out the door. Skip pulled it shut behind the last one and took off after them. Kathryn led the way back to safety.

"Crawl through!" She told them, standing beside the hole in the fortress as the others dived in past her. The guard was running after Skip, raising his cylindrical grey weapon.

The small Mexican managed to dodge an energy ball, which left behind a smoking hole in the ground. The soldiers weapon whined as it charged up again, and when he shot it, Skip was hit in the leg.

He went down, cutting his arms on the rough ground. Kathryn whipped out her phaser, peeked over the bush and fired a shot at the guard. He staggered, but his armor protected him for the most part and he kept coming.

When Kathryn fired again, she aimed for his gun. The red beam of energy cut into the enemy's weapon at just the right spot. It exploded shortly after impact, creating a small burst of red and orange, vaporizing the soldier instantly.

Kathryn ran toward Skip and helped him limp with effort to the wall. He carefully crawled into the tunnel grunting in pain. Kathryn looked behind her to see a group of the soldiers in the distance, heading straight for them.

She followed after Skip, who was crawling as fast as he could with a hurt leg. When they reached the other side, Steven helped Skip and the rescued prisoners back to the clearing. Kathryn stayed behind with Samuel, trying to block the exit with anything they could find.

Blasts could be heard through the passageway from the other side. Kathryn began coming up with a plan, just in case the soldiers were able to get by the huge wall.

"We might have a fight on our hands. We have to protect our jungle."


	4. Chapter 4

With Skip unable to do much, laying in bed while Sarah treated the wound in his leg, Kathryn took over. Only Skip was in Starfleet here and these civilians needed guidance, so Kathryn did her best.

"Samuel, Steven, take two of the phasers and go make sure no soldiers got by the wall," She told them. "Be careful."

Both of them nodded, then took two phasers from the large, bead-swirled stump and headed off into the forest. Kathryn was hoping for the best but anticipating the worst.

That was when a very loud CRASH! resounded through the normally peaceful jungle. Everyone around the stump leaped to their feet, startled.

"What was that!" Teresa exclaimed, looking around with wide eyes. Kathryn was already heading in the direction the noise came from, flying over the green moss with ease.

She came to a place where shredded leaves were still floating down from where they'd been torn and the dirt had been forced up from where it usually lay hidden under the moss. Kathryn scampered up a nearby gargantuan tree, concealed behind the beaded leaves hanging from a twisted branch above.

Holly, Teresa, and Sharon caught up with her then, and she motioned them to stay down. They knelt beside the bronze tree she was in, with even the roots towering over them. Kathryn turned back to the scene before her.

A round silver thing that was bigger than her by only a few feet lay half buried under dark brown dirt and ripped up moss. There were dents and blackened marks scattered all over the dull surface, more than it should have for a crash. A peice of the outside was charred black and peeled upward, revealing darker grey material underneath.

Kathryn watched from the safety of her tree as a section of it spiraled open and someone tumbled out. It was a young man with black hair and a symbol drawn onto his face over the left eyebrow. His ripped black and red clothes looked vaguely familiar, and there was a small cut on his forehead.

He looked around in awe at the exotic glowing jungle like any newcomer would. Then, after a while, he turned to inspect his broken vehicle. Once he saw how damaged it was he bent over and picked up a small triangular thing, looking it over in his hand. His face fell and he leaned against the vehicle with one hand, wiping absently at the cut on his head with the other.

Kathryn studied him closely but couldn't tell if he had any weapons. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to hurt her so she slowly climbed out of the tree. She crouched behind it with the others for a moment and said, "Stay here."

Kathryn carefully approached the strange man, her footsteps silenced by the cushioned moss. She stopped a safe distance away.

"I'm Kathryn. Who are you and what are you doing here?" She demanded, causing the stranger to turn and look at her in surprise.

"My name's Chakotay. I'm an ensign in Starfleet and we're in a war with the Carvali. My ship has been destroyed but I survived in this escape pod," He answered, gesturing to the damaged round thing in the ground.

Kathryn was studying the newcomer and his pod once more when she heard Samuel calling her name. "Come with me," She said to Chakotay, beginning to run through the jungle toward the voice.

Chakotay had a little trouble keeping up but Kathryn didn't slow down for him. Samuels news was too important.

"They're making progress through the wall," He said frantically once they met up.

"Don't worry, we've got some help. And I think I might have a plan," She assured him.

The group headed back to the stump they called base. Once everyone except Skip and Sarah were gathered around, Kathryn began.

"Chakotay, tell me more about this war."

"Well, it started when small populations on colony planets began to disappear. After some investigating we figured out this warlike race called the Carvali were taking the colonies to their worlds and onto their ships as slaves," He explained.

"Are they here, too?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes, they took all of the Keltinians from this planet not too long ago."

"And now they're coming for us," Kathryn responded. "But we won't let them! I have a plan. Samuel, you say they are getting through the wall?"

"Mmm-hmm. The noises are getting louder and they're shooting their weapons through the tunnel, making it wider," Samuel replied.

"Alright. Here's what we'll do," Kathryn said, making sure she had everyones attention. "Me and Chakotay will take two phasers and go see if the Carvali got through the wall. Teresa, help Sarah move Skip into the cave, he might be safer in there. Holly and Sharon, go into the Garden and hide in the flowers next to the waterfall. Samuel and Steven, climb up the cliffs in the garden and pile up some big rocks."

Kathryn finished giving them the details of her plan and everyone got in position. Once Steven and Samuel got enough big rocks heaped up, Kathryn and Chakotay headed out.

They moved quickly through the gleaming jungle, phasers held up and ready. Kathryn heard the blasts before they even reached the wall. Kathryn motioned to Chakotay and the two of them peeked between trees and leaves, trying to get a clearer view of things without revealing themselves.

Kathryn didn't like what she saw. The tunnel was wider, smoke trails curling upward from the blackened hole. The green and purple leaves were singed, the edges crispy and crumbling apart.

The tiniest sound of something rubbing against the gnarly bark of a treek caused Kathryn to snap her head up. She didn't see anything, but then the sound came from a different tree, and then another.

"Look out!" Kathryn warned, leaping on Chakotay to knock him out of the way. Two Carvali soldiers thudded down on the moss where they had just been. More soldiers appeared climbing down from the branches and sneaking around the wide trunks.

"Keep with the plan," Kathryn whispered to Chakotay as they smoothly rolled to their feet. And so the first part of Kathryns plan had begun. They started running.


	5. Chapter 5

Kathryn and Chakotay ran through the twilight jungle lit only by the blue luminescent beads, past the towering trees and over the sparkling moss toward their destination. Kathryn was once again reminded of her races with Mark when they were younger.

She sped through the forest with years of practice, rapidly leaving the Carvali soldiers behind. She occasionally circled back to make sure Chakotay was also keeping ahead of them.

The soldiers were weighed down by their heavy armor and didn't know these woods. Even Chakotay, who likewise wasn't familiar with these surroundings, left the soldiers far behind.

Still, the Carvali managed to follow them. Kathryn figured they had some sort of tricorder which could track other peoples movements.

They were nearing the place where her plan would hopefully get rid of the soldiers. Kathryn circled back to run beside Chakotay. Their Carvali pursuers were slowly catching up and she urged Chakotay to quicken his pace.

They flung themselves through the curtain of deep green vines hanging over the entrance to the Garden. Kathryn hastily led the way into a hiding space in the rocks to the left of the entrance.

Together they crouched behind a large grey boulder, awaiting the arrival of their enemy. Holly and Sharon saw them come in and stood up from among the fluffy white flowers. They stood beside the small pond into which a waterfall cascaded from the cliff above.

A group of soldiers burst into the normally undisturbed valley. They immediately started towards Holly and Sharon, paying no attention to the clouds of white fluff that rose into the air.

As they neared their target, Holly and Sharon dived into the water, evading the charge. The soldiers' momentum carried them into the cliff wall and that's when part two of the plan came in.

Steven and Samuel shoved all the rocks and boulders they had piled up on the cliff over the edge. The soldiers moved too slowly and were soon buried under the rockslide. Samuel gave Kathryn a thumbs up and she returned it from her hiding spot.

Suddenly, before Kathryn even began to stand up, more Carvali soldiers rushed into the Garden, holding weapons and some kind of rope or wire. Kathryn held her breath as she and Chakotay listened for what the Carvali were going to do.

Footsteps muffled by the soft ground came closer and Kathryn raised her phaser. Chakotay nodded, mirroring her movements.

"Aim for the guns," She whispered, remembering the explosion she caused the last time she hit one. The Carvali continued to advance, unaware of any danger.

Kathryn fired, the red enegy bolt from her phaser making impact with one of the soldiers tubular guns. It caused a small explosion, vaporizing some of the soldiers while others were knocked to the ground, badly injured.

But still more came. Chakotay took out another small group with a well-placed shot. A large amount of the Carvali soldiers were killed or injured before the phasers ran out of power.

There were only ten soldiers left, but it was ten too many. There were no other weapons Kathryn could think of that would effectively cut through the soldiers armor or explode their guns.

She and Chakotay crouched behind the boulder once more, helpless against the armed soldiers coming closer. Now she and all her friends would be taken prisoner and the forest would probably be destroyed in the Carvalis quest for slaves.

_No, I won't let that happen. If I can't outfight them, I'll just have to outthink them. _Kathryn acted fast, leaping atop the giant boulder and then to a branch protruding from the cliff.

She swung over the heads of the soldiers, landing behind them at the entrance to the Garden. Five of them turned and started after her. She only hoped Chakotay could handle the other half.

Kathryn raced out of the Garden and through the glowing jungle, easily losing the soldiers. She scampered up a tree once they were out of sight behind her, and made sure the oversized leaves surrounded her completely.

All five of them eventually caught up and stopped. Kathryn held her breath, trying to be as silent as possible, sinking back against the twisted trunk.

One soldier came closer to her tree; the others ventured off into the forest. Apparently their tracking devices weren't that great, and Kathryn was grateful for that.

The soldier who stayed in her area circled the tree once, confused. Kathryn was reminded of her childhood days playing hide and seek with Mark.

She readied herself, then waited for the right moment. When it came Kathryn leaped from her branch and landed on top of the soldier. He was knocked off balance, and both of them went rolling on the springy moss.

The soldier grabbed for his gun, still trying to get to his feet, but Kathryn was quicker. She rolled to a standing position, jumped for the soldier, and knocked his gun away. She then grabbed the wire-like rope from his belt loop and wasted no time tying him up.

Once he was also tied to an immovable root, she turned to get his gun. She was too late. Another soldier scooped the cylindrical weapon up and aimed both his and that one at her.

She froze, and in the moment it took for the guns to charge up, she heard another soldier come up behind her. Just as both guns fired Kathryn dropped to the ground and rolled sideways.

The deadly balls of energy slammed into the Carvali that was behind her, severly wounding him. He dropped to the ground, falling on his own gun and accidently firing it.

Kathryn, still on the ground, ducked as another energy ball flew over her head and hit the first soldiers gun. It exploded, causing the second weapon to disintegrate along with the unlucky Carvali.

Kathryn heard the whine of the wounded soldiers gun charging up. She quickly leaped to her feet and tore it from his hands. She turned the end away from her and towards him, and when the weapon fired she was thrown backwards.

The soldiers head was gone now. One less to worry about. Kathryn carefully snuck through the forest, alert for any sign of the other enemies.

The soldiers were much less sneaky. Kathryn could hear whenever one got close. She was heading toward the Garden to see how Chakotay and the others were doing but stopped when she ran into a soldier.

Instead of aiming his gun he took his rope and threw it at her. Kathryn ducked, barely escaping the loop on the end and once again she ran. The soldier followed, and she led him away from her friends.

Her long light brown hair flowed behind her and her loose white clothing fluttered as she ran. She was alot faster than the soldier in his bulky black and red armor.

She ran until she reached the lake where she had learned to swim and waited there for the soldier. He shoved through the vines and aimed his weapon upon seeing her.

Kathryn aimed her own stolen gun, but had no idea how to use it. She tried pushing a button, but instead of the usual whine it made while charging up it began shaking in her hands.

She threw it in the way of the soldiers gun and dived into the lake. Even from underwater she heard the loud explosion. When she surfaced she saw only a scorched hole in the ground, and the vines hanging at the entrance were gone.

Now without a weapon, Kathryn silently got out of the water and exited through the now vineless 'doorway'. A soldier was waiting for her, his shiny black rope ready in his hands.

She was caught by surprise but managed to dodge the lasso. She took off through the jungle, but this soldier was keeping up with her and getting closer.

He threw the coil of rope at her. Kathryn jumped onto a root and leaped off, her arms outstretched toward a low branch. Right when her hands reached it the rope looped around her ankle.

It pulled tight and she fell short of her target, crashing down to the soft, beaded moss. The soldier hurriedly tied the rope around her.

"You will be taken to our ship as a slave," He said, his voice mechanical sounding. Kathryn could only stare at him in horror as he knotted the rope.

Then she looked past him, smiled and said, "I don't think so." The soldier looked at her through his helmet. "You will not backtalk to..."

He was interrupted as a large peice of wood slammed into his head, knocking him to his knees. Chakotay brought the wood down on him again, cracking the faceplate of his helmet.

Samuel and Steven showed up, aiming the Carvali's tubular guns at the soldier. Holly and Sharon appeared from behind trees with their own weapons of wood and rock.

Kathryns mother who had been hiding in the cave with Skip, Sarah, and Teresa came up from behind and worked on untying her. Once she was free from the smooth black rope Kathryn gave her a big hug.

"Mom!" Kathryn exclaimed, happy to see that all of her friends had survived. Then she turned to Chakotay.

"Are all of the soldiers gone?" She asked.

"Each and every one of them," He replied. "But I couldn't have done it without you leading half of them away like that. How did you handle five soldiers by yourself?"

Kathryn only smiled at him. "Guess I'm just that good."


	6. Chapter 6

The Carvali threat was neutralized in just over a year, and the exotic glowing jungle of Keltinia unharmed for the most part. It was soon abandoned as Starfleet returned those who had lived there to their families.

Kathryn went on to become a well known captain with Chakotay always by her side, and together they made the perfect team.

Twenty years later, Kathryn returned to the twilight forest she had grown up in. It was the same as she remembered, peaceful and dark, with only the luminescent blue beads lighting it up.

She ventured off away from Chakotay, who had accompanied her and who said he would meet her later in the Garden. Kathryn went back to the clearing where she had lived, where the bead swirled stump still sat in front of the cave.

The cabin her friends had built was no longer there. In its place was one of many large craters where Carvali ships had fired on the planet. The soft green moss was already growing in the dirt that had been left there.

After that, Kathryn walked to the huge wall made of the gargantuan trees that had separated her from her mother for so many years. Parts of it were broken, crumbling down from the Carvali war that had happened in the space above the planet.

Kathryn spent the rest of the day wandering around to all her favorite places in this jungle, thinking about her childhood, the fight with the Carvali soldiers, and Mark.

Finally Chakotay called her on her commbadge, requesting that she meet him in the Garden. He was standing outside of it when she arrived and he told her to close her eyes before she went in. Kathryn did so, and Chakotay led her through the curtain of vines.

"Okay, open your eyes now," Her first officer said, and she did.

She saw many of her old friends who had lived here with her when she was younger, along with her mother. They were all standing around a grey statue made from a boulder that had been rolled into the middle of the white flowers.

Once she got closer to it she realized that it was her from when she helped defeat the soldiers that had come to the planet. Kathryn was amazed.

"Wow! This is beautiful! Did you all make this for me?" She asked.

"Yes, we did. Well, Skip did most of it, but we helped alot," He mother replied.

Skip looked shy as he said, "Yeah, I used to carve statues for a hobby."

"Thank you!" Kathryn exclaimed. "But it's missing something."

She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a glowing pearl bracelet the same color as the beads that lit this forest. She slipped it onto the outstretched wrist of the statue, a reminder of Mark that would always be there.

_I might have been someone different in another life, but _this _is my life._

That statue still stands five hundred years later, the bracelet still shining as bright as ever, holding the secret of Kathryn Janeway.


End file.
